Dan Abnett Pens GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY Mobile Game

We once told you that you didn't have to wait for the Guardians of the Galaxy movie to experience the titular outer space anti-heroes, but now we really mean it!

Coming today to iOS, Android and Windows devices is Guardians of the Galaxy: The Universal Weapon from Disney Interactive. A 3D brawler sporting an animated, 'super-deformed' look and a cast of twenty-five playable characters from both the upcoming film and the comics it was based on.

Screens from Guardians of the Galaxy Mobile Game

Credit: Disney Interactive

The familiar Marvel game MacGuffin, ISO-8, plays a key role as the Guardians and the forces of evil race to assemble the five pieces of the immeasurably powerful Universal Weapon which is made from the meta-material. The story mode boasts special combo moves between particular characters and more than 60 levels of real-time combat that is controlled by touch-screen gestures. Outside the story mode, an arena survival mode will let you assemble your own team of upgradable Guardians from other unlockable heroes and villains.

When it came time to script the Guardians of the Galaxy: The Universal Weapon's story mode Disney Interactive called upon one of their in-(mouse)-house ringers: veteran Guardians of the Galaxy comic book writer Dan Abnett. Newsarama sat down with him to pick his brain about the game, and the movie!

Newsarama: First as a comic book writer and probably a big comic fan yourself, what did you think when you heard the news that the Guardians of the Galaxy were headed to the big screen?

Dan Abnett: Very excited. Very VERY excited. I think it’s going to be amazing and I’ve been lucky enough to get a couple of set visits for a sneak peak preview!

Screens from Guardians of the Galaxy Mobile Game

Credit: Disney Interactive

Nrama:How did your involvement in the game come about?

Abnett: Disney approached me directly, because I wrote the 2008 run of Guardians which established the GOTG line up. Movie director James Gunn has been pretty open about that run of the comic being an influence on the film, hence the set visits. I guess Disney wanted to bring in somebody with ‘previous’ on his rap sheet [smiles].

Nrama: Is this your first game? How did you find the creative process differing for your work in comics and novels? What special challenges, if any, did you discover in writing for a game?

Abnett: No, I’ve worked (and am working on) others, for example [the upcoming titles] Alien: Isolation and Shadow of Mordor. It is a different discipline from writing prose or comics, but it involves the same creative processes. There’s also a very nice, inclusive collaborative feel working with a team on a game. I got to work with some very talented people on this.

Screens from Guardians of the Galaxy Mobile Game

Credit: Disney Interactive

Nrama: Are fans of the 'Cosmic' corner of the Marvel comic book universe going to find material in the game, or is it solely sourced from the upcoming movie?

Abnett: Yes, they are. There are lots of treats and surprises.

Nrama: Either way, how did your work with Marvel's 'Cosmic' setting inform your work on the game?

Abnett: My cosmic background was really useful in linking elements together and contextualizing some of the characters and devices we’re using. Disney was keen to have a very “Marvel Cosmic Universe” feel to it.

Nrama: Was it a struggle to adapt to the “movie” version of the characters?

Abnett: I didn’t find it so...I hope we did the characters justice.

Nrama: Was there an element from your comic work with the characters you were excited to bring forward to the game?

Abnett: I think the sheer range of supporting characters, and the cool locations. It was really fun seeing how we could fit things in and thread the elements together.

Nrama: Finally, what Cosmic Marvel character(s) would you think would make for a great Marvel Cinematic Universe movie and why?

Abnett: The Silver Surfer, Nova, the Starjammers, Captain Marvel, Warlock... hang on, I can’t think of a Cosmic Marvel character that WOULDN’T!